NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: A follower Lost
An orc in a modest home lay awake in his bed thinking about the day that would begin soon. Suddenly a ferret jumped through the open window. The ferret didn't panic when it met the orcs gave. "Is your name Handle?" The ferret asked in perfect orcish.
Handle's breath was caught in his chest as he was overwhelmed by the brief moment the ferret's eyes lingered on him. (A softer intimidate Lucan had previously categorized as a failed attempt at intimidate.)
"Yes. What magic are you?" Handle asked sternly while sitting up in bed.
*Cough Cough*
The ferret let out the cough of an old man. Joy was heard in the voice. "I have finally found you, my long lost descendent. I only left a small part of myself in this realm, oh so long ago, but I don't have long before I return to shadows."
"I have no family; I am an orphan. You are lying, I was raised by temple shamans, they are all the family I need."
"I see you're stronger than most. You stand with other orcs, strong and weak, young and old, you stand with them all. I have pride that you are my descendant. My name is Broom, you are Handle. You are my descendant, there are no lies."
The devote orcs eyes began to grow wide.
"I don't have long left in this world, when the sun rises, I will be gone to my final adventure. You good orc, Olgar bad orc. You should lead tribe. Olgar's War Roar is bad for orcs. He roars when day starts. He roars at shift change, he roars after dinner. Olgar's War roar sends orcs to their knees. The only time an orc kneels is in battle with other orc, our kind must live. No orc kneels in his home, it the same as when humans raised orcs as slaves. Olgar bad orc."
The ferret let the orc digest his words for a moment before making eye contact with the orc for a second time. Chills went down Handel's spine.
"Will Handel free the orcs I could not?"
"But I not stro-."
"If you want to free orcs, I give you the last of my strength, you free orcs before I go."
"But the roar?"
"I will protect your mind, roar won't work. I will give you my will and bless your right hand. You will be able to move the world with a wave; I give you the power of my despair and curse your left hand making it strong. I have fourth power but I no force it, you must make sacrifice of levels to gain power. But I still give you three of my powers if you chose to acknowledge that you are my descendant. Handle, will you free orcs from Olgar?"
"I-." The orc stood up. "I, Handle, kin of Broom will become Orc-chief tonight."
Lucan activated pact magic and bestowed power onto him while an illusionary ray of light surrounded Handle in his home.
"The sun will rise soon, we must act fast." Broom said telepathically.
Handle read about his powers. 'Broom's will' (Telekinetic Slam) 1 use per hour. 'Broom's Protection' (Mind Shield) Passive. 'Curse of Slavery' (Shadow Bind Touch) 10 seconds per hour.
"Yes, let's go."
"Stay quiet I will show you the way so you can advance undisturbed, don't forget there is no one better at sneaking through a slave camp."
Handle opened the door to a quiet dark street, it was morning, but the day had yet to begin.
While Lucan was riding the high of warlock insanity, he bought a new form for Little Brown because Broom was known to have pet ferrets. He bought plenty of gifts for the orc. He paid extra to reskin all the abilities and the pact. At this point Lucan wasn't going to turn back, he had fully devoted himself and his resources. The only thing to do was ride it out.
The ferret led the way taking seemingly random turns that would take them further from the chief's house but after 10 minutes they arrived without seeing a single orc. All thanks to Adrestia scouting from above.
"The sun is starting to peak over the hill, you must act now."
Handle didn't hesitate and burst through the door into Olgar's home. The War chief was startled awake while Handle pulled out two hammers.
"Olgar's time is over, you bad orc. Handle will make Broom proud!" The orc shouted while starting to pound on Olgar who was trapped in his sheets. The Orc-chief freed a leg and sent a powerful kick to Handle's chest sending him through the wall and out onto the street.
"You must be punished." Olgar said, while walking out onto the street through the hole in his wall. A single hit from Olgar took away 20% of Handles health while Handles three hammer attacks took away 5% each from Olgar.
Several orcs were coming to the sound of the commotion.
"Olgar is starting a fight with Handle. Handle fight hard, be proud of home!" An orc shouted out from between 2 houses.
"Handle, fight back! Free us!" A little orc girl shouted from the end of the street. The orc people who gathered started to murmur to themselves.
Olgar was confused about the sudden scene, he thought his guards would rush to join him, but everyone kept their distance from Handle and Olgar who were glaring at each other.
Little brown had worked his way up to the roof of Olgar's home. Handle could see him over the Orc-chief's shoulder.
"I only have minutes left. The people are with you, do not falter." Lucan said telepathically to Handle after dismissing the two illusionary orcs after they spoke out.
Olgar grew irate as everyone just watched.
"You will suffer for today!" Olgar shouted while pointing a greatsword toward Handle.
*Roar*
The Orc-chief let out a mighty war roar. Every orc within 100 feet fell to the ground as they lost their strength. Every orc but Handle who now had full faith in his powers.
"You will feel the will of Broom!" Handle waved his right hand.
An invisible telekinetic wall of force slammed into Olgar sending him flying 5 feet through the air. Handle pounced and unleashed a barrage of hammer attacks. The Orc chief was helpless and couldn't resist. Handle suddenly stopped.
Olgar's health hung at a sliver.
"Will you live on?" Handle asked the bloodied orc.
Olgar propped himself up onto his knees but pulled a dagger and tried to plunge it into Handles thigh. He grabbed Olgar with his left hand. Black chains forged from shadows wrapped and bound Olgar in an instant. Handle gripped his hammer and swung.
"I wish you a better future on your next journey."
Lucan didn't forget to sneak a single Telekinetic Slash in the beginning of the fight.
[You have gained 38,000 XP.]
[Congratulations, you have gained a level X6]
Lucan bounced back from level 20 to level 26.
[The Orc-chief Olgar has died, the exit for this Instance is now open.]
The ferret looked at Handle as the sun was beginning to shine on a new day. "You have made me proud." Broom said to Handle telepathically before the ferret collapsed into shadows.
Lucan grinned from ear to ear. He stood up, stretched out and dusted himself off before taking the 3 steps to where he began from and passed through the gate, back into the depths of the Assassin's Guild.
The moment he left, the Instance was reset, and Lucan lost a follower, but it was still worth it. He was surprised to find Silent Night sitting on the bottom stair waiting for him.
"Took you long enough. But don't feel too concerned, I got gold status just by managing to hit the chief with a single arrow. I am sure you did good enough."
The gatekeeper hand the parchment back to Lucan. "Take this to the second door in the main room to get your results." He said before locking the gate on the Instance.
Lucan and Silent started up the stairs.
"I was surprised that you were still inside when I completed my contract. Did you use extra caution on your last try? That is what I did, I managed learn where the orc leader was and shot a single arrow over the wall, past the defenses and into his house through an open window, hitting him while he was sleeping in bed."
"Wow, that sounds like an impressive shot. Was it luck or skill?"
"A bit of both." She said proudly. "When I am over 1,500 feet away my accuracy is about a 3-foot bubble. There was a bit of luck involved. Do you think you did well? Don't be nervous, they take pretty much anybody with the hint of potential."
"I am not concerned, who wouldn't want a warlock like me to join?" Lucan said as they arrived at the top of the stairs. The bar was a bit more crowded than earlier but Bloodfist and the others were still present.
Lucan excused himself to get his results.